Japan orders MSDF dispatch for antipiracy mission off Somalia+

TOKYO, March 13 Kyodo -
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Friday ordered the dispatch of
Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers on an antipiracy mission off Somalia,
signifying the first policing action abroad for the country's Self-Defense
Forces.
Based on the order, two destroyers -- the 4,650-ton Sazanami and 4,550-ton
Samidare of the 8th Escort Division of the 4th Escort Flotilla -- are to leave
their base in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Saturday afternoon.
The government's national security council and Cabinet laid the groundwork for
the order earlier on Friday by deciding on the dispatch to the pirate-infested
Gulf of Aden under the maritime police action provision of the Self-Defense
Forces Law.
''The pirates in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia are a threat to the
international community, including Japan, and a matter that should be dealt
with urgently,'' Hamada told a news conference after giving the dispatch order.
In a statement, Prime Minister Taro Aso said ensuring the safe navigation of
ships is ''extremely important for Japan's economy and society, and people's
lives'' given that Japan is surrounded by the sea and attaches great importance
to trade.
The Cabinet also approved a bill on the same day that would enable the
deployment of the SDF abroad as needed to deal with pirate attacks on the high
seas.
Hamada, who earlier said the use of the maritime policing provision should only
be on an interim basis, reiterated that view, saying, ''I would like to have it
(the law) enacted as soon as possible'' so that the law can underwrite Japan's
antipiracy mission.
The maritime police action was issued based on the SDF law's Article 82, which
stipulates that the SDF may take necessary actions at sea to safeguard Japanese
lives and property in situations that exceed the capacity of the Japan Coast
Guard.
Though Friday's order made no mention of the dispatch's duration, Hamada
expressed his intention to review the mission in six months by holding a
national security council meeting.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said Japan plans to help beef up
the coast guard functions of the countries near Somalia and to make use of
Japan's official development assistance programs to cope with the piracy
problem.
''What is important is to eliminate the root cause of piracy,'' he told
reporters. In addition to supporting Somalia's neighboring countries, ''Japan
will work on the stabilization of Somalia itself by making use of our ODA,'' he
said.
A total of roughly 400 MSDF personnel and eight coast guard officers will be
aboard the two destroyers, which will each carry two SH-60K patrol helicopters
and two speedboats, according to the Defense Ministry.
Members of the commando-style MSDF Special Boarding Unit are also part of the
mission, with the job of dealing with encounters with Somali pirates, who are
said to be armed with weapons such as rockets and automatic rifles.
The fleet is expected to take two to three weeks to arrive in the gulf, making
it likely that the escort mission will begin around early April.
According to the ministry, the destroyers will escort Japan-linked ships --
Japanese-registered ships, foreign ships with Japanese nationals or cargoes on
board, and other ships operated by Japanese shipping firms.
Coast guard officers will be on hand aboard the destroyers to process judicial
matters, including collecting criminal evidence and handling crime suspects, in
the event that the destroyers encounter pirates.
Should such encounters occur, MSDF personnel may fire warning shots. But under
the maritime policing provision, they cannot harm the pirates except under
limited circumstances, such as acting in self-defense.
To better deal with pirate attacks, the government plans to submit to
parliament the antipiracy bill, which, if passed, would provide more latitude
in stopping piracy, including firing at pirate boats that ignore warnings to
stop.
The bill would also enable the MSDF to protect any ships, including foreign
vessels without Japanese connections -- a provision which government officials
say is needed to fulfill Japan's international obligations.
It remains unclear, however, whether parliament will approve such a bill, given
that the House of Councillors is controlled by the opposition. Some opposition
parties are concerned about the potential use of force abroad, which is limited
under the country's pacifist Constitution.
Some opposition lawmakers have also criticized the planned deployment of MSDF
destroyers abroad on the antipiracy mission, saying that Japan Coast Guard
vessels should be dispatched instead.
''This is what is called security, not a war. Only the Maritime Self-Defense
Force is able to go as far away as waters off Somalia and bring (pirates) in,''
Prime Minister Aso told reporters on Friday.
In the mission, an MSDF refuel ship deployed to the Indian Ocean for a
refueling mission in the U.S.-led antiterrorism campaign in and around
Afghanistan will sometimes supply fuel and water to the destroyers, according
to the ministry.
Japan also plans to deploy MSDF P-3C patrol aircraft to the gulf in several
months' time.
More than a dozen countries, including Russia, China, the United States and
European Union countries, have deployed their naval vessels to waters around
the Horn of Africa on antipiracy missions in response to U.N. Security Council
resolutions on piracy off Somalia.
Spurred in part by calls from the domestic shipping industry and China's
dispatch of navy destroyers late last year, Aso has been a strong advocate of
Japan's involvement in the antipiracy campaign.
On Friday, a South Korean destroyer set sail from a port in the country's
south, the South Korean navy said. It is expected to begin an escort mission in
the gulf from the middle of next month.
Piracy has been rampant in the waters, with 111 cases last year, more than
double the number reported a year earlier and accounting for roughly one-third
of all pirate incidents around the world.
==Kyodo
2009-03-13 22:23:03